Le Potager du Marais
24 rue Rambuteau, Paris, France
Hours: Noon-3 p.m., 7-10:30 p.m. daily.
Menu: http://www.lepotagerdumarais.fr/media/2762.pdf
Suitable for: Lovers of rich French food!
We had very little time in Paris on our swipe through Europe last year, so we knew we must make it count. Eiffel Tower? Check. A swoop past the recently burned Notre Dame? Check. A walk down the Seine, a visit to Shakespeare & Company, a croissant? Check, check, check.
So when dinnertime neared and LeeLee and I sat at a sidewalk café, sipping our red wine while enjoying a view of the Opera House, we knew there was only one option for us. A French vegetarian restaurant had to be the ticket. There was no choice in the matter, not if we wanted to consider ourselves true visitors of Paris.
Now, one thing you may not know about me is that I am a capital-P Planner. I love having everything Just So, wanting to know what we’re doing on any given day. It’s fine for things to change as events warrant, but I like having a general outline. So imagine my surprise when there, amid the wine and olives, I realized I had not given the first look to where we might enjoy such a fine French feast!
Thankfully, our HappyCow app soon set us right, and before too long LeeLee was on the phone, asking, “Parlais vous anglais?” of the nice lady on the other end who assured him that, oui, she did in fact speak anglais, and would be more than happy to book us for an early seating at Le Potager du Marais that evening, the later seatings being already booked. That was fine with us – after a long day of traipsing around, we were ready for a meal on the earlier side!
We took the subway to our determined stop and then walked around the neighborhood to kill a little time before heading in for our reservation. The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was how gloriously adorable it was! The tables were cozy but not obnoxiously so (to wit: We ended up making friends with the tourists from Chicago seated next to us, but also were able to have our own separate meal without it being awkward), the décor was perfectly French country in all the best ways, and the hosts and servers were welcoming, even to those of us with very poor French (but Lord knows we tried).
And then … there was the food.
Oh, man, was there the food.
We started things off the only way we knew how, with Pate forestier – mushroom pate – just to get us into the French mood. I think this was the first time I’d had pate since I went vegetarian nearly two decades ago, and the hearty, earthy flavors came rushing back all at once. This is not an appetizer you can just devour in two minutes flat. No, this is a dish to be savored, bite by luxurious bite, washed down with a hefty red wine.
Then, sufficiently appetized, it was time to move on to dinner.
LeeLee went with the cassoulet de la mer gratine aux noisettes, a cassoulet of pink lentils with smoked tofu, fennel, seaweed and hazelnuts and served with rice and a salad. It was a rich, creamy dish where all the flavors – while on the surface perhaps seeming they would conflict – sang in concert with one another, providing a hearty, hardy meal like only the French can do.
Meanwhile, I settled on the blanquette de soja a la citronelle, a dish featuring soy protein seasoned with lemongrass and served with vegetables, rice and a salad. What seems like such a simple dish tasted quite complex indeed, and like LeeLee’s entrée, so creamy, the thick white sauce coating the soy protein and melding just beautifully with the undertones of lemongrass. If I close my eyes I can taste it now still, the chew of the protein and the silk of the cream sauce lighting up my senses.
In what will be one of my greatest regrets of our time in Paris, we neglected to order dessert at Le Potager du Marais. We were stuffed full, could barely even dream of another bite of food, and thus, we waved away the dessert menu. I still feel sorry about it. And we’ll look for a do-over the next time we’re in town!
An all-vegan French restaurant on the streets of one of the most beautiful cities in all the world – what could be better? Get to Le Potager du Marais at once … and please, do order dessert too.
:)